


Comfortable company

by TJ_Writes



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7484388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TJ_Writes/pseuds/TJ_Writes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro and Luffy take their comfortable coexistence to a new level of obliviousness and Nami kind of wants to punch them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfortable company

**Author's Note:**

> tfw u take a sledgehammer to the writers block that has persisted over several years. When OTP demands, OTP DEMANDS.
> 
> Written for the first [Zolu week](http://zolu-week.tumblr.com/) prompt: Date.
> 
> How do I even chose ratings. Does swearing even matter anymore.
> 
> Not proofread because I don't have any friends who are into One Piece, and I am forever bitter and sad about this.

* * *

 

It’s already dark outside when Zoro finally pulls into the unusually empty driveway. He clambers out of the car with his arms full of takeout bags and then slams the car door too hard, pauses to consider it and decides that a few more dents aren’t going to be the end of the world. Plus the mindless physical aggression felt really cathartic after a shitty day. He doesn’t forget to lock the car this time but swears loudly during the entire debacle of balancing a bunch of bags while handling a key. Sleeping the entire weekend away is starting to sound really tempting.

The gravel crunches under heavy boots as Zoro makes his way over to the house. Old wooden steps protest the rough treatment but they live through it and the following _thunk_ of several bags being set down. He’s about to manhandle the lock when the door suddenly flies open and Zoro jumps back to not get hit by it.

“Zoro’s here!” Standing in the doorway and grinning widely, Luffy appears completely oblivious to the fact that he just came close to causing blunt force trauma to the guy he’s so happy to see. Once the shock wears off Zoro regains his ability to speak.

“Shit, give some warning would you - you almost hit me with the damn door!” Irritation and possibly some exhaustion bleeds through into the tone, enough to pull a sheepish apologetic response out of Luffy.

“Oh sorry,” he starts, but then breaks into another huge grin instead. “But you’re here! And so is food!”

Zoro isn’t ashamed to admit that the cheerful and excitable air that Luffy seems to emit on a daily basis tends to have a positive effect on him. Already he feels it pulling at the corners of his mouth. Perhaps the evening can still be saved.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s go inside and get all this stuff sorted.” Zoro steps in and kicks off his boots swiftly before heading to the kitchen. The front door slams shut loudly behind him and that would normally result in loud yelps and yelled reprimands from around the house. Apparently the deserted driveway really meant that the place was pretty much empty.

“Everyone’s out tonight? I know Franky and the cook are both out of town.” Busy piling the contents of the bags onto the countertop, Zoro watches as Luffy bounds into the kitchen and up to the counters. To be completely honest he’s a little surprised that the actual party-lover in the house hasn’t gotten bored waiting and left to go wherever the rest of the colorful group was heading.

Luffy offers up a brave attempt at answering the question - _Nami, Usopp and Chopper out to see Vivi, Brook playing somewhere, Robin out of town something about books_  - before he’s totally distracted by the food being unpacked. Especially once he notices where the food is from, that’s when Zoro suddenly finds himself crowded into the counter corner. He protests loudly and tries to shove the shorter man off to get some space but Luffy isn’t having any of that and instead plasters himself up against Zoro’s side and locks his surprisingly strong, wiry arms around the stocky waist. A short and probably quite funny looking struggle follows until they are both laughing loudly and there’s escaped chopsticks rolling around on the counter.

When the beef bowls are revealed Luffy’s face lights up like fireworks, and his grip grows even tighter to the point that Zoro is about to comment on the fact that he’d like to keep his ribs intact. He doesn’t get that far because suddenly every electrical device in the house heaves a great sigh and promptly dies.

A long moment of total silence follows as Zoro blinks, frowns and then blinks again. Surely it’s just a momentary thing, right? Luffy is still clinging to him but the arms around him have gone slack in evident confusion. Time keeps wasting and the power shows no signs of coming back but Zoro feels his shitty mood threatening to return instead.

“Why the fuck does this place always fall apart when Franky _isn’t_ around?” He barks at nothing in particular, glaring into the darkness as if it had taken physical form and personally offended him. He’s going to have to send Franky a text in the morning and figure out if the guy has been re-wiring the house lately. A weak, blue light appears next to him. Luffy finally disentangles himself to wave his phone around and then gasps loudly.

“Oh no! We can’t watch a movie like this!” He sounds so horrified by the realization that Zoro can’t help but snort. Trust Luffy to latch onto silly details. Meanwhile the lights are still out and the thought of blindly stumbling around the kitchen and the rest of the house isn’t very appealing, so Zoro gives up and sets his focus on moving to the other end of the counters because somewhere in one of the kitchen drawers there’s a package of candles. Zoro knows this because he’s bumped into them several times while deliberately rummaging around and disturbing the shitty cook’s organized kitchen.

“Say Luffy, think you could go check if there’s a box of matches or a lighter in any of the shitty cook’s million jackets?” He asks while turning and twisting the candles in an attempt to find the damn package opening.

“Eh? Fire? Can’t you go find your phone instead?” There is nothing but confusion in Luffy’s voice as he approaches and finally turns the weak phone light on Zoro’s hands so he can actually see what the hell he’s doing.

“My phone is dead and there’s no power to charge it with. I found some candles so we don’t have to eat in the dark.” He rattles the pack in the general direction of Luffy and the shorter man makes a soft _‘ooh’_ noise before turning to hurry off in the direction of the hallway and the coat racks. Zoro is about to tell him to be careful but a telling _thump_ cuts him off and it is followed by a loud _‘ow!’_ and more sounds of chaos. It is a lucky thing that no one in the house keeps any valuable objects in the shared spaces because those would not survive for very long.

Zoro somewhat trusts that Luffy isn’t going to kill himself and sets out to locate a tablecloth. He doesn’t give a rats ass about the cook and his _'precious kitchen’_ but he knows that both Chopper and Usopp use the big kitchen table for homework and drawing and Zoro doesn’t want them to suffer from any unpleasant surprises in the form of greasy stains.

Eventually Luffy returns triumphant with a lighter and together they manage to light enough candles to actually see the table. Zoro frowns at the tablecloth because it is some totally unnecessarily tacky red monstrosity, but he can’t be bothered to go through the clusterfuck of setting the table again. Especially not since Luffy has already moved on to piling food containers into his arms and Zoro recognizes a fire hazard when he sees it.

“Oi hang on a sec.” He hurries over to the counter and swipes the dangerously balanced tower of containers right out of Luffy’s grip.

“Whaaaaat? I’m hungry and the meat smells so goood.” The walking catastrophe whines loudly right into his ear.

“Yeah I’ve seen you eat out of takeout boxes before, there’s no way you are putting those things anywhere near fire. Let’s get some plates for this.” Zoro shoulders Luffy to the side so he can grab some plates out of the wall cabinets. The minimal amount of candlelight that reaches across the kitchen doesn’t really offer much visibility but enough for Zoro to notice the emptiness of the shelves.

“But I didn’t do the dishes yet…” the culprit mutters a little sulkily where he stands clutching a box of rice. Luckily the problem is solved pretty quickly as it turns out there’s a bunch of plates and bowls stacked onto the top shelf. Luffy continues pouting and Zoro takes pity on him and offers him a chunk of the beef he’s piling onto a plate. He can feel teeth snap against the chopsticks and smirks at the instant change in Luffy’s attitude.

“So easy to bribe.” Zoro teases, and Luffy looks like he’s about to stick his tongue out in playful protest but thankfully realizes he’s still chewing.

Eventually Luffy is settled at the table with his two bowls and one plate - how he can put away so much food will forever remain a mystery - and Zoro focuses on carefully pouring his udon soup into a bowl. When he’s done Luffy suddenly bounces up and makes a dive for the fridge. Getting between the lanky idiot and a fridge can be disastrous so Zoro moves over to the table to give his rushing partner some space. He’s barely had the time to sit down when a wine glass is plonked down on the table in front of him. Zoro eyes the glass skeptically and then gives Luffy a look of _'really?’_ that the other easily reads.

“There were no other clean ones!” Luffy protests as he twists open a huge bottle of soda. Zoro watches with barely contained amusement, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell the younger man that he could have just grabbed a beer for himself. So soda in a wine glass it is.

They finally manage to just sit down to eat. Luffy inhales a giant bowl of beef, taking only one short break to drink. Everyone in the house is pretty used to the show that is Luffy eating and Zoro has known him longer than the others so he doesn’t even pay him any mind anymore. When Luffy starts on his second bowl he takes up talking in between bites. He’s cheerful and in a clearly good mood, and is putting in some extra effort to not chew with his mouth open - a very considerate gesture coming from him.  
Zoro nods along and puts a few words in here and there, though he mostly listens to the excitable chatter. After a really long day it’s nice to finally be able to sit down and relax, enjoy some good food and good company, even after the blackout threatened to make it a shitty evening too. The soft, flickering candlelight being the only source of light is surprisingly soothing. Zoro feels the remaining stress-induced tension leave his body. Normally he would have either went straight to bed or drank until he hit the point of _cannot-be-bothered-by-anything._

Luffy finishes his food in the middle of his wild retelling of a party he’d went to with his brother some nights ago. Zoro follows along the story and pins the last chunk of udon soup chicken between his chopsticks and offers it to Luffy without being prompted. He knows his partner well, and true to character Luffy gives him an enormous, bright smile before accepting the piece of meat.

While Luffy finishes his story Zoro gathers up the empty bowls, plates and glasses and piles them somewhat neatly next to the sink. The sink itself is already full and one very unhappy glance from the man sitting by the table is enough to make Zoro shake his head.

“Don’t do the dishes in candlelight. I don’t wanna drive you to the ER for stitches tonight.” He points out tiredly. The designated dishwasher of the week seems absolutely fine with that. It is one hell of a pile of dishes anyway and Zoro considers offering his help in the morning, and not only because certain individuals in the house have a habit of accidentally breaking things.

Meanwhile Luffy has already made quick work of blowing out the candles - all except the one he’s now holding. Zoro lets himself be led to the living room and the massive couch that suddenly looks like the second most comfortable thing in the world, right after the bed he knows he could throw himself at if he went upstairs.

“The power is still out you know.” He manages while yawning widely. Food always makes him incredibly tired and all the exhaustion from the long day is slowly but surely creeping back.

“I know. But can’t we sit down and wait in case it comes back?” Luffy suggests hopefully. He’s being thoughtful and shoving all the magazines and other flammable objects off of the coffee table before he carefully places the candle in the middle.

“I’m gonna pass out soon.” After-meal naps are his tradition and Zoro doesn’t feel like fighting it. He doesn’t really have any extra energy to spare either, after spending most of it on his work.

Luffy pouts for a moment but then has the great idea of keeping Zoro awake with more ludicrous moments from last weekend. It is true that Luffy gets into even more stupid shit when he’s hanging out with his brother, and usually the stories do make for quite entertaining if slightly cringe-worthy stories, but Zoro doubts it is going to work. He agrees to keep Luffy company on the couch though because the idiot can be really convincing when he gets all excited.

Ten minutes later Zoro is almost nodding off - _literally_ \- and the only thing he can recall hearing is _'and then there was a accident with the glo paint’_ because most of Luffy’s story has totally passed him by. Luffy doesn’t seem bothered by it though and keeps going, his voice creating a nice background ambiance in the mostly dark living room.

Neck strain gets old really fast and Zoro decides he wants to lie down. He’s too tall to stretch out on the couch when there’s two people on it but that shouldn’t be too hard to fix.

“C'mon.” He grabs hold of the thin wrist closest to himself and tugs gently. Luffy doesn’t need a lot of convincing and crawls over. They shuffle and twist to get comfortable, and manage without turning it into an actual scuffle. Zoro has plenty of not-so-fond memories of getting closely acquainted with Luffy’s incredibly bony knees and is very happy about the fact that the period of awkward bumbling around passed pretty early on when they started the entire _'more than friends’_ thing.

Luffy continues talking even when he’s draped over Zoro like a blanket, cheek squished against the chest he’s using as a pillow. The chatter is starting to slow and lose volume, and while he is trying to look awake and energetic Luffy is clearly starting to lose steam. Zoro lazily lifts one arm so he can bury his fingers in his partners’ wild black hair.

“Nuhh Zoro’s making me sleepy.” The protest Luffy manages is muffled and not very convincing. Zoro is almost there already, eyes closed and breathing deep and slow. It would probably be easy enough to pick Luffy up and carry him upstairs to bed now but it’s gotten to the point when Zoro simply doesn’t want to move at all for the next couple of hours. And the couch has always been pretty damn comfortable anyway. The shared warmth isn’t bad either.

Sleep always hits Luffy like a ton of bricks and the last thing Zoro is aware of before drifting off himself is his lanky human blanket going out like a light.

**—**

He first becomes aware of sounds pushing through his peaceful sleep. His subconscious doesn’t start ringing any alarm bells though so Zoro keeps drifting in and out of a light state of slumber but doesn’t wake fully.

The thing that eventually rouses him is a loud _thump_ almost next to his ear and the following shrill voice that sounds like something from the depths of hell at that very moment. Zoro cracks his eyes open and hisses when the painfully bright light hits.

“Wakey wakey snugglemonsters! I want answers and I want them noooow!” The excited, feminine voice belongs to Nami. She was apparently also the source of the noise that first got through to him because she’s leaning over the back of the couch, propped up on her elbows. What the huge grin is for, Zoro hasn’t got the faintest clue about. He squints at the redhead grumpily.

“Go away.” He grunts, shifting enough to pull his arm from under Luffy who still appears to be sleeping or at least making a valiant effort of it.

“Not likely. Now spill - which one of you is the secret romantic who set up a candlelit dinner tonight?” The annoying sing-song tone Nami is using is starting to grate. Zoro has no idea what she’s going on about, and he probably looks as confused and tired as he feels.

“What…? The damn power went out. I want to see what I’m eating.” He groans and rubs at his eyes. Honestly, he’s missing the darkness and the soft light from the candles now.

“Right. And the candles plus tablecloth having a romantic red theme was totally an accident, right?” Nami snipes with a hint of sarcasm coloring her tone now. Zoro is way too fucking tired to deal with sarcasm at the moment. Luffy seems to agree because he starts moving only to whine softly and then try to shove his entire head between the back of the couch and Zoro.

“Ding ding ding, you guessed right. Couldn’t see shit when I picked it out.” The redhead is getting visibly exasperated with his replies and they fall into a rapid-fire quiz that gathers an audience in the form of Vivi who is trying to hide her amused smile but is failing horribly.

“The fancy dinnerware off the top shelf.”

“Fancy? Plates and bowls are plates and bowls.”

“Wine glasses.”

“Only clean glasses Luffy could find.”

Silence follows and Zoro gets his hopes up that his last answer was enough for their nosy housemate. Nami looks like she’s seen the damn house ghost. Apparently she isn’t done.

“Oh my _god_!” She nearly shouts then slumps forward, headbutting Luffy who starts with a loud 'ow!’. Zoro flails when the famously thick skull thunks against his rib cage and in the background Vivi bursts into hysterical giggles.

“Only you two idiots could have a romantic candlelit dinner _without realizing you were having one!_ ”


End file.
